During this episode, we visit Bodéwadmimwen classes that are in-person again. We also talk to a Tribal member with experience in the Oklahoma film industry as a costumer and hear from the Oklahoma Gaming Industry Association Chairman about its recent history and future.
The Citizen Potawatomi Nation opened its flagship enterprise in 2006, welcoming visitors to the FireLake Grand Casino with 125,000 square feet of gaming. It turned 15 in 2021, and the last decade and a half brought many changes, including a renaming in 2012. The Grand Casino Hotel & Resort is now a one-stop-shop for fun off I-40.
Even in a highly regulated sector such as gaming, there are always individuals seeking to take advantageof the system. Popular culture has even made heroes out of the practice with films like “Casino” and“Ocean’s Eleven.” Less celebrated in Hollywood portrayals though are those behind the scenes of gaming enterprises tasked with staying one step ahead Read More »
CPN is located in an area of Oklahoma referred to as Frontier Country. It encompasses all of central Oklahoma from Stillwater to Norman and Seminole to Yukon. Oklahoma City is the largest city in Frontier Country and the state. Competition in such a heavily populated area makes it that much harder for business’ to stand Read More »
In an industry that Hollywood has portrayed as a bastion of rogues and crooks, working in the gaming community can appear as a strange career path for someone like Judy Shore. Shore, the Director of Casino Operations for Grand Casino Hotel and Resort is more typical a face of the gaming industry than anything Read More »
From Blackjack dealers to the cooks at the Bistro Grill, FireLake Casino is the workplace for dozens of tribal employees. The managerial staff at FireLake Entertainment Center has plenty of combined years of success. While each individual works as part of the larger team, those responsible for gaming operations fall under the supervision of Director Read More »
Grand Casino Hotel and Resort has partnered with Penn Square Mall to open the retail space, The Grand Lounge, to promote Citizen Potawatomi Nation tribal enterprises and drive tourism in Pottawatomie County. “Penn Square Mall is excited to welcome The Grand Lounge to its eclectic mix of retailers,” said Donna Berlin, general manager at Penn Read More »
Once surrounded by a corn field, FireLake Entertainment Center’s current surroundings look starkly different than it did thirty years ago. Its continuing transformation mirrors that of the tribe’s, whose holdings once consisted of a simple bingo hall, a small administrative trailer and just a few parcels of land. Constructed in 1982 as a bingo Read More »
Linda Canada was 19 years old when she moved from Quitaque, Texas to Shawnee, Okla. with her immediate family. Her familiarity with the Citizen Potawatomi Nation began when Canada was playing at the old bingo hall, before the tribe ever owned a casino. She picked up an application during one visit and the rest is Read More »